Off I go
by KathBell
Summary: Something happens in a patient's room. She's fighting for her life. He was fighting for his. And Meredith see's the one person she didn't expect to see. George. 3months after S6F! Part four in 'Titled Song' series
1. Prolouge

_Meredith. _

_Summary: An incident in a paitents room turns badly, and she see's the one person she never expected to see. Geroge O'Malley._

_Pairings: Meredith and Derek - MerDer and a George/Meredith friendship. _

_Warning: Sad CD._

_I should have seen him..._

I knew I should have been more alert. The patient had been admitted from the physiatrist ward for a Cardiac procedure, something Cristina would understand more than me. I should have seen him grab the knife. I wonder why he wasn't restrained, most patients that pose a threat are. I gasped in shock as someone – probably the patient, I never got to see – pushed a knife into my back. My chest. My knees buckled beneath me. I gasped for air.

"No..." A small whisper. I was on my knees, my hands on the floor. I could guess that the guy had punctured a lung, and figures and statistics were running through my head. This couldn't be happening. "Please no..." A broken sob escaped my throat. My body ached; my chest felt like it was on fire, like it did when I was drowning. Unable to breathe, never to wake up again. Dying. Dead.

The man brought a knife up to my throat. I knew this was it. I was going to die. I wonder if this was how George felt, when he held my hand and wrote the numbers; '007'. At least I wasn't in as much pain as him. Being hit by a bus, hearing his bones break, then being dragged three blocks by said bus. Bad luck. Pain was an understatement.

Always like the non-dark and twisty Meredith, always thinking on the bright side. She had to be like that at work, to not fall into depression, to not let the stresses of seeing death everyday get to her. The hospital, the place that she grew up, was her sanctuary, yet she was dying here. Her safe place was not so much of a safe place anymore.

She fell to the floor as the knife cut through her throat.

She opened her eyes, to a sight she couldn't help but smile at. George O'Malley was standing there. "The buzz cut's a bit too much..." She joked. "Last time I checked you hadn't actually left Seattle."

"Yeah, well..." George trailed off, the smile fading from his face. "Do you know where you are?"

"Dead. Guy slit my throat..." She trailed off as the thought impacted her. She was dead. Never to see Derek again, or Christina, Izzie, or Alex. Tears ventured up into her eyes, and slowly started to fall. Each one slided down her face, each one getting faster each time.

George made his way over to his now crying best friend. He hated to see her like this. He just wished this time, only a month or so after his 'untimely' death, would have came when Meredith was seventy, with thirty kids knowing Derek, George thought. "Shush... It'll be okay."

"No!" Meredith managed to exclaim throughout the heartbreaking sobs that wracked her body. "No it will not be okay! I'm dead. Not coming back. I want to go back, I. Want. To. Go. Back. They let me go back last time so why not this time?"

"Because, they can't bring you back this time Mer." George paused. "Look around, you're not in the ER, or the OR." She realised that she was in a corridor. She was sitting on a bed, in the old-man-semi-comatose-old-guy's room. "I'm really sorry Meredith. You can't go back from here." He smiled slightly. "Trust me. At least people will recognise you." Meredith frowned.

"Oh my God, you actually care about that! I'm" She noticed George was laughing. "I hate you."

"No you don't."

"Yeah I do." Meredith said in complete seriousness, but both knew that she could never mean it.

"No ya' don't. You really love me."

"Unfortunately for you." She joked back.

_**Authors note: Please review!**_


	2. Chp 1: Unusual friendships appear

_**A/N: This was an intended one-shot, but your reviews made me change my mind. Thank you all so much!The first part was a kinda prologue so this is chapter one! And the timing, after the shooting :) I'm not sure if I mentioned that! Appearances from: Derek, Alex, Cristina and many more (yes, more than just our amazing George!) Lots of Cristina/Alex/Meredith friendship in this one!**_

_**Inspiration/Dedication for this chapter : Half-bloodGoddess, for somehow convincing me to write this, and then convincing me to write over 700 words! And then just being annoying... She's gonna go mental if she reads that (Thank god she doesn't like Grey's Anatomy).**_

_**Disclaimer: Now, if I owned Grey's Anatomy the following things wouldn't have happened (spoilers!) : George died, Meredith's miscarriage, Lexie/Mark break up, Alex/Lexie (That's just not right!), Mercy West merger, Arizona/Callie temporary break up, Alex shot and last but not by any means least, Izzie leaving. Wow that took ages. So: No! I do not own Grey's Anatomy! Title and chapter names are from the song 'Off I go' used in the season 5 finale, so don't own that either.**_

_**Chapter one: Loose ends tangle down.**_

"Well..." George continued. "You could go back but it'll be hard."

Meredith looked up. "You choose now to tell me this?" She was angry but relieved at the same time. "Honestly George, you can be so annoying sometimes!" She smiled. It wasn't a smile that she meant. Fear was overwhelming her, all she wanted to do was to get back. To be with Derek, Alex and Cristina.

George looked at his best friend. He wanted to tell her, he truly did. But there was always the chance that something could go wrong, and he couldn't bear to see his friends grieve for the second time.

–

Cristina was beyond excited. She needed to speak to Meredith, her very own life depended on it.

At that time, Cristina hadn't meant it literally, but she learnt the true extent to her thoughts as she walked into Meredith's patients room. The patient was on the floor, bleeding from both wrists. Cristina checked for a pulse but found none. She was about to start CPR when she saw another body. One that made her blood run cold, and her heart to near enough stop.

Meredith Grey's body to be exact. Running faster than she could ever remember running in her life, she made her way outside and screamed for help. People came fast, as the words 'I need two crash carts' usually got most people worried.

–

"So, how do I get back?" Meredith asked. She loved seeing George, she really did. But she needed to get back to the people, the living people, that she loved. George moved closer to her and sighed. A sigh never meant something easy or good.

"We wait." George said simply. "Your body is really weak Mer, he stabbed you first then he cut your throat. You're lucky that you were found in time. If Cristina had only been-"

"Cristina found me?"

George ignored her comment for now. "A few minutes later than she was then you would have died. And yes, she did find you." Meredith nodded, before resting her head on George's shoulder.

"Why'd you save her life?" George swallowed. That was the question he had been dreading. He couldn't decide what to say. Then again, it didn't matter which 'her' Meredith was talking about, did it?

"I just..." The 'dead' man trailed off, unable to think of a truthful answer. He couldn't tell her the whole truth, not just yet, he couldn't put Meredith, or anyone else, through that pain. "I just did it. I don't know why." It could mean anything, so again, he was off on a technicality that probably didn't even exist. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." His frown told her that feeling better didn't necessarily mean a good thing. "Not good." He nodded solemnly. He had been through this more than once after all.

–

"Dr Yang." Derek greeted as he walked past the cardio goddess, who seemed to be in a rare daze. Christina was staring into the trauma room, although the blinds were closed. Her eyes held tears, but they had not spread down her face. At first, Derek wondered what caused her to fall into such a trace. Then he realised grimly. There were only two people who had gotten close enough to Cristina, that were still alive or at least in Seattle, to do so. Meredith or Owen. Oh, and there was the fact that Cristina's scrubs were covered in crimson red blood. "Cristina," Derek dropped all formalities as is concern for the woman he loved and soon intended to marry, and for his friend, grew. "Who is in there?" When she didn't answer, he raised his voice slightly but was not shouting. Yet. "Who's in there Cristina?" A few people glanced at the pair, but most people ignored it. The amount of raised voices and fights that went on in this hospital caused people to become that used to it that they just ignored it from now on, or treated it as if it was normal.

"Meredith." The one word answer brought Derek's whole world crashing down. In a fluent movement, the neurosurgeon barged into the trauma room intending to yell at whatever attending, resident or even intern in there for not informing him. However, the second his eyes met Meredith's body he froze. Any plans for yelling soon disappeared out of his head, and were replaced by memories of watching Richard and Bailey try to resuscitate Meredith after the drowning incident. His mouth fell open, yet nobody noticed him, until Owen looked up as rhythm returned. Meredith had been flat lining when Derek had walked in.

Richard and Bailey, a rare thing for all of the top attendings to be in the room at once, looked at him. An equal look of shock, sorrow and quilt spread over each of their faces, as none of them had remembered that Derek, the chief of surgery, should have been told.

The room was filled with the noise of beeping machinery, talking, and frankly just a lot of noise, but to Derek it sounded like nothing other than silence. He didn't even hear Owen ordering for a nurse to take him outside. He didn't even feel his arms being taken strongly, nor did he feel his body being guided outside. Everything seemed so distant. He could hear his heavy breathing, and tried to imagine it as Meredith's. In. Out. In. Out. Paced and steady, breathing, alive. He stood out of the way as Owen and Bailey pushed Meredith towards the O.R, and from where he was standing he could see a shell-shocked Alex walking past Meredith. He fell back against the wall, and sighed.

Cristina was unable to comprehend what was happening. One minute she was nearly jumping off the roof, the next minute she couldn't even remember what she had been happy about. Her best friend was dying. It was a simple as that. Her hands were shaking. Her breathing hitched. She never showed weakness, so instead of breaking down like she was sure Derek was about to, she worked. Cristina closed her eyes to collect herself before heading to the clinic. She wouldn't do surgeries today, she wouldn't be able to. She couldn't lose Meredith, so Cristina wasn't even going to accept that this was happening if only to hold the grief for a little while.

But to her displeasure, the hard chest of someone – a male was all she knew, but she recognised something about it – stopped her. "Sorry" She mumbled and moved the other way, but the man moved with her and stopped her getting away.

"Cristina." His voice was softer than usual, kinder in a way. Then again, the usual I-don't-give-a-damn voice had gone with the shooting, just like the old Alex. Again, she tried not to acknowledge his existence and attempted to move past him. This time, instead of stepping in the way, Alex grabbed her arms, gentle enough to not hurt her, but hard enough for her to not be able to walk away without a fight. Cristina would never admit this, but Alex would win in any fight with anyone at any time. "Cristina." Soft again, a wide change from the voice, the man, she had known for years. "You can't work now." She looked up finally, her gaze questioning. He just sighed sadly.

Alex slowly guided her to the locker room, in which he opened her locker and grabbed some clothes for her. Cristina was confused, he could tell that by looking at her face. Her eyes were focused on him, yet she looked like she wasn't seeing him, acted like she wasn't seeing him. It was scary to say the least. He had wondered briefly if he should call Izzie, considering that the pair were probably closer. He decided against it. When Derek had been shot she didn't come, even when she knew about Meredith's miscarriage. When he had been shot she didn't come, even with knowing that he had fallen into a coma. The chances of her coming now... The young doctor shook his head. It was just the three of them left. Him, Cristina and Meredith. Now there was a chance that the three could turn into two. Death seemed to manifest in his group of interns. Izzie's cancer. Meredith's drowning. George's death. His comatose week (eight days, six hours and thirteen minutes to be exact.) Cristina's... well, there was something but he certainly couldn't remember it. There wasn't a single one of them who hadn't been close to death. He sat Cristina down on the bench and decided that he would try to snap her out of this newly acquired daze. "Cristina." She blinked once. At least it was a response, it was better than any. He was barely able to believe that Meredith was in surgery now, let alone dying- he shuddered at the thought. She wasn't going to die. He refused to believe it.

10 minutes later and Cristina had changed into a different pair of scrubs. Alex decided to bin the blood covered ones, knowing Cristina would never wear them again. Anger started to run through him, as he hadn't been told how this happened- hell, all he knew was that he saw Meredith with her throat cut open, and a stab wound in her abdomen. He wanted to ask Cristina- he really did- but his judgement and instinct told him not to. No point in upsetting Cristina when he could just find out from someone else in an easier way. "She might die." Cristina mumbled, but Alex still heard her.

"No she won't." His voice was so steady, so trusting, so... New-Alex, that she almost believed him. Almost.

"How do you know that?" Her voice was nowhere near as steady. Worry and concern etched her features. Alex had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He had to be strong for his friends, this was his time to pull through for them. All Meredith had to do was live. All Cristina had to do was not give up hope. All he had to do was near enough everything else, including keeping Cristina alive mentally.

"Because. She's Meredith. Shiny and new, and married Meredith. She won't give up on us." And she would go crazy spending the rest of eternity with George anyway, he added silently to himself. He had told no one about what he had 'dreamt' about when he was in a coma. He wasn't planning on telling anyone either. He knew that Cristina didn't know-or just didn't want to- how to explain how she felt. It was just her. She built up walls, and barely ever let anyone in. She let him in, but only after the shooting. Her and Meredith had been at his side when he had woken up, the pair of them had tear stains down their faces. He had guessed, from that and from the dark circles under their eyes, that the pair had barely slept in days. Obviously Meredith wouldn't have, but seeing Cristina was a shock.

"But she... There was so much blood." Alex closed his eyes, glad he hadn't seen Meredith in the place were it had happened, but at the same time wishing he had. Cristina didn't need to see that, and he would have dealt with it better than Cristina. He dealt with everything better than most people. His crappy childhood, his mother's many attempts at death, his pathetic drunk father, Ava/Rebecca, Izzie's cancer, George dying, Izzie leaving him, and the most recent one- getting shot. He would deal with this better too.

"And? Ask Lexie about the amount of blood around me. I still survived. Meredith will be okay. She has to be." His voice cracked slightly as he continued. "She has to be."

She had to live. It was as simple as that.

_**Authors note: Reviews?**_


	3. Chp 2: Four women untited by one person

_**Authors note: May be the last update for a while, laptops getting fixed. **____** And this computer is so-o-o-o-o-o slow. No joke. Takes 20 minutes for fire fox to open! **_

_**And I know there is a lot of Alex in this story, but I can't help it. He has beaten George as my fave character! A very hard thing to do!**_

_**Side note: I HATE FOOTBALL! Why, why did they have to create it? *ANGRY IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT! ***_

_**Disclaimer: Own Sofia the resident! Own nothing else though :(**_

_**Chapter two: And then take flight. **_

Derek paced through the corridor, unable to shake the feeling of worry that had controlled him ever since walking into the trauma room. How could he? The broken hearted man ran his hands over his face. He was that worried about his wife that he didn't even hear his best friend approaching him until he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. Derek looked up. "Mark." He greeted so quietly, that Mark had to strain himself to hear his best friends voice.

Derek slid back down against the wall, now feeling more exhausted than ever after just speaking. Mark was feeling ill, literally ill, he was torn between the two people he loved. Lexie, the only woman he had shared a long-term relationship with, and Derek, his best friend – his 'brother' – the only friend who had stood by the man who had an affair with said friend's wife.

But that was behind them now. Lexie had insisted that he should be with Derek and that she would be with Sofia (a doctor she said George and her had been close with). He had agreed. He looked at his best friend's face. Worry and sorrow etched over all of his features, Mark noted. Tear trails that had dried up yet were still visible. Shock was the main thing, Mark suspected that he had been going out of his mind- actually, not suspected, he knew that Derek was going out of his mind. He would be the same if it were Lexie in there.

"She'll be okay." Mark whispered, but his friend still heard him. Whether he believed him or not was a whole different subject.

Alex sighed as he slowly moved Crisitna's head off his lap. The pair were still in the locker room. There was no doubt that someone had seen them, but whoever that was had left them alone. That person was sane to say the least. He would not be amazed if the whole hospital decided to avoid them. It was a normal reaction. Happened when George died. Mer's first fight with death. Izzie when she couldn't remember anything or when she was in surgery- then again, that probably had something to do with George O'Malley leaving for the army at the same time/getting hit by a bus.

God, George was an idiot.

The doctor made a cushion out of his jacket, and placed his best friend's head on it. He then ran outside, only to return no more that thirty seconds later with a blanket. He softly, gently almost, placed it over Cristina.

Couldn't have her getting cold now, could we?

He subconsciously rubbed his chest. He did this whenever he was worried, mainly because he had been worried that day. He closed his eyes, only for a second, and before he could do anything to stop it, memories flushed into him. Her eyes staring at him. Her dead, lifeless eyes, staring at him while she wore that everlasting look of shock. He opened them quickly, shaking the memories from his head.

Cristina woke up, to Alex. He was lying on the bench opposite her, in what seemed to be a restless sleep. She wondered why they were in here and not in the on-call room. Then again, why was she sleeping in the same room as new-Alex/Devil spawn? And where the hell was Meredith?

It came back to her in a sudden flush. She closed her eyes momentarily. When she opened them again she couldn't keep them off Alex. His face was drenched in sweat, cold sweat. His eyes were darting around under his eyelids. She noticed a slight shake to his hands; actually, she added to herself after a few more seconds, his entire body was shaking. She bit her lip. It was obvious that Alex was having a nightmare, and she would bet everything she owned that it was about the shooting. Personally, she was amazed that he had even been cleared for work. He hadn't talked to Meredith about it, and he certainly hadn't talked to her about it. She needed him to know that they were there for him, especially with Meredith... Surviving this. Alex was right. Lexie had told her the exact amount of blood he had lost, and she certainly knew that Meredith had lost considerably less. He survived, even with a punctured lung, three cracked ribs and major internal bleeding. Meredith just needed someone to repair her throat, and she would be okay.

She had to be.

Lexie pressed her head against the wall in the on-call room. She had been with Mark when he had been paged. She had, to put it simply, freaked out. Mark had stayed with her until she had calmed down enough to be normal-Lexie, which was still freaked out to most people. Mark understood her though. Callie, Arizona and Sofia all sat in the room with her.

Callie, although her and George were over years ago, still felt like she was close to that group of interns. So that was her reason.

Arizona was here for, well, just being Arizona. Helpful, kind, and just the person that they needed right now.

Sofia was here for Lexie. The pair had became good friends. But she was also here for George. Her and George had grown up together, and she worked here. When he had died she had treated him. She felt like she owed it to him to be here for his friends.

Miranda Bailey, and extremely tired, worried and mainly angry mode of Bailey, walked into the room. She spotted all three women sitting on the floor with their heads against the wall. She joined them.

Callie put her hand in Arizona's. Arizona gripped Callie's hand while taking hold of Lexie's. Lexie didn't know what to do. Miranda then took hold of Lexie's. The four women held hands and sent up a silent prayer.


	4. Chp 3: Notes from the enemy

_Owen approached Derek and Mark slowly and carefully. A lot of blood loss. Plus a head injury. _

_George was lying on the one opposite her. A small smile filtered onto Meredith's face, but it soon disappeared. _

_Alex nodded at Mark's words and turned to the sleeping Cristina. Literally. The smile disappeared. _

"_Cristina..." Alex. _

_**Authors note: Okay, I got two reviews. So I typed silently through the England match, ignored my annoying something. So I hope you love this update. And there will be George in this chapter. I just watched S6 finale again and went and got myself all sad about Alex. So that is the reason for major Alex. This chapter will have more George in. And has anyone guessed anything about George yet, virtual cookies to those who do. I also discovered something on my decade old computer- Auto summarize! So that summary thing at the top is my experiment. I'm now happy. **_

_**Halfway through I realised that I stole one of Callie's lines from the season 5 finale. Completely random and bored me right now. **_

_**Disclaimer: **_

_**Chapter three: But never. **_

Owen approached Derek and Mark slowly and carefully. Relief was silently washing over him. The knife that had slit Meredith's throat was so low down that it hadn't caused much lasting damage. Most of the blood that everyone had seen on her turned out to be the guy that had slit her throats. The stab wound had been simple and easy to fix up, but there was some bad news.

A lot of blood loss. Plus a head injury.

A med-student could have worked that out. Now he had to be the unlucky guy who told the husband, the best friend, and the husband's slightly scary at times best friend/plastic surgeon/patients sister's boyfriend. He couldn't help but smile. Derek and Mark couldn't even date people that weren't the same family. Two-near-enough brothers (not by blood but they knew literally everything about each other) dating two sisters (half sisters technically).

"Is she okay?" Derek was in his face, with Mark following, the second that he entered the room. He relayed the information to the pair.

Derek, by the end of the conversation, could only think of two things.

Meredith was alive. Meredith was in a coma.

She was lying down in the one of the free-clinic cubicles. The curtains were open. George was lying on the one opposite her. The pair never took their eyes off each other. She didn't know why, but the pair sat in silence. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, so many things she wanted to talk about. Meredith wanted to talk, but every time she tried her mouth just refused to open.

He watched her, barely even taking the time to blink. It had been so long, too long, since the pair had even looked at each other. Sure, he was 'dead' after all. "Okay, I am the king of awkward silences, so can we just skip this part?" He joked. A small smile filtered onto Meredith's face, but it soon disappeared.

Alex nodded at Mark's words and turned to the sleeping Cristina. He didn't notice Mark walking away, and to be honest, he didn't really care. He blinked, his eyes heavy from exhaustion. As always. If someone could find a day when they weren't Alex would turn into a girl. Literally. A smile, however small it was, stayed on his face. She was alive, and fighting. That was all that mattered to him.

The smile disappeared. Coma. He knew, personally, that being in one was not a good thing. Definitely not a good thing.

"Cristina..." She looked up at the voice. Alex. It meant that there was news, and it had better be good news. "She's alive." A sigh of relief escaped her lips, but her joy was short lived. "She's not doing good. They missed all of the major arteries, and most of the blood you seen wasn't hers. But..." Cristina hated that word. "The blood loss, the shock, the head trauma, no idea how she got that by the way, but with all of that-"

"She's in a coma." Cristina finished for him. He sent her an 'I can't believe this is happening again either' glance. She, in a complete non-Cristina like way, let herself bury her head in Alex's shoulder and cry. Shocked as he was,

"I want to go back." Meredith said adamantly, getting up from the bed. She was tired of the silence. Tired of this. She wanted to get home. She wanted Derek. She wanted Cristina, Alex, Lexie, and her friends. She loved George. She wanted him too. But she knew that he was dead, and she wasn't quite ready to be dead. She wanted to die when she was in her nineties, and in very little pain. She wanted to live life.

"I know you do." His statement, his voice, was simple and sweet. He believed her. He wanted to go back too. He also wanted to tell her, but being George, the guy who was kind, the go-to guy, and now the dead-guy, he couldn't hurt anyone, let alone a fly. Why did he join the army again, he thought to himself.

"Then why can't I? I want to be alive, to breathe! To live life to the full, to actually enjoy life. George, I cannot die. I can't leave Derek; I love him for Gods sake. I chose him, and when we nearly lost him I was going crazy. I can't do this to him. I can't leave everyone behind!" She was yelling like a 'crazy chick' as Alex would call it. George nodded.

"I know."

"You can't just say that! We all know you know because you died. You went and died on us. We didn't even know you had joined the army. You're EX-WIFE and Dr Bailey told us. It's not fair George. I want to live." She continued to shout over George.

"I know Mer."

"You can't say that! Didn't you hear me! We know that. I just want... I want..." George quickly got up and caught her in his arms. Meredith broke down into tears as he held her up. She tightly grabbed his shoulders, refusing to let go as if they were her lifeline. "Please. Let me go back. Promise me that I will live, George, I need you to promise," She was begging now, she was near enough on her knees. "Promise me." George pulled her up into a tight hug.

"I promise." He whispered.

Alex woke up a few hours later. Cristina wasn't there. That was the first thing he noticed. The second thing was that there was a small note where she had been.

He sighed. He already had a feeling where she was before he had even read it.

He just picked it up.

_Alex. No need to worry. I've just gone out for a while. You look for me and I will take away your already pathetic manhood. _

_Tons of non-existing love: Cristina. _

He couldn't help but smile. He missed the playful banter that he and Cristina had once shared, but he enjoyed being her friend (not just devil spawn) too.

He took off his lab coat and went to find Owen.

_**Authors note: Another chapter done! Would love some reviews! I think that if I carry on with 1000+ words updates this could become my longest story. **_


	5. Chp 4: Long phone calls

_**Authors note: Anyone guessed the twist? Becomes more obvious in this chapter! OMG The rant with Alex on the phone lasted 267 or something words! Holy... wow, already started to write the sequel to this! Love reviews?**_

_**Disclaimer: Own nothing!**_

_**Chapter four: Tie me down.**_

Derek walked into the room. Unsure at first, but he grew more and more confident with every single step. His confidence disappears as he brought his gaze up from the floor and onto the comatose woman lying on the bed. This was impossible. It couldn't be happening.

He now had sympathy for his shooter. How sad was that? He had sympathy for the person who nearly killed him. He now knew how Gray Clark felt when he looked at him comatose wife and begged them to save her. He just hoped that he wouldn't know how Gary Clark felt when he looked at his brain-dead wife.

Because, as always, there was still hope, no matter how clichéd it sounded. He slowly took the few small steps over to the awaiting chair and sat down. His eyes drifted down to Meredith's hand, and he took it tightly. The hand was pale, but it was warm which meant that she was alive. "Please Mer." He whispered, pressing her hand to his place. "Please don't die."

Meredith heard him. She was still in George's arms, but she had stopped crying the second she had heard that soft, kind voice. It was Derek. He was speaking to her. George was looking at her with a smile on his face. She guessed that he had heard it too, or he was just smiling about the fact that his scrubs weren't going to get anymore wet in the next two to three minutes. "Is that..." He nodded, giving her hope again. Hope that he had given up on months ago. He had just given up. She smiled.

She had something good for her to latch onto. His voice had reignited her need to get home.

He just wished he had the same.

No one knew where he was, so he would never have the same hope. But Izzie knew where he was, typically.

Typical that she didn't notice. Saddening that he was literally alone in the world, in more ways than one.

Owen walked into the bar and spotted the person he was searching for immediately. Alex had told him about what Cristina always did whenever one of them (mainly Meredith) got hurt, and had asked him – more like ordered him, but Owen didn't call him up on it – to go help Cristina out. She needed her boyfriend, and hopefully soon-to-be fiancé, with her. Owen knew that. She was the one who stood by him. The one who put up with all of his problems. Now, when she needed his help, he would be the one who helped her.

He owed it to her.

He grabbed the glass before it reached her mouth. She looked at him. In that gaze they shared so many things. He blinked. She nodded and stood up. The pair left the bar in silence. Well, until Cristina started singing that was. Owen smirked, Alex had also told – WARNED – him about this.

Cristina had never been able to hold her liquor well.

"Alex?" Her shocked voice answered after he had said a simple hi.

"Surprise... Listen... I need you to-"

"Alex! You're alive; well that's a relief. Anyways, I need to know why the hell you called me because I had to come out of surgery for you, Alex. Surgery. You know, the thing our lives revolve around-" Mine doesn't, yours does, Alex thought bitterly to himself. "Seriously! Seriously!" Typical. "Amazing, life-changing surgery, and you pull me out to say that you need me to listen. We- you didn't get brain damage did you? Or memory loss? Mer only said you'd gotten shot but after that I looked up your patient files and it said comatose blah blah blah and then I went and begged my chief to let me," Alex sat down. This could last a while. "Take a few days off work, I even explained that my ex-husband was in a coma, my best friends husband who also saved my life in surgery more than once was shot, my old attending was probably mentally scarred for life and everything. Yet. He still ignored me. He said no and I'm really sorry I didn't come. AND ON TOP OF THAT." 5 minutes, 23 seconds. That was a hard thing to do, even for Isabel Stevens. "What the hell did you think you were doing? Getting shot? Honest to god, have you and Meredith swapped places. All of a sudden she isn't the one in life or death situations and your found half dead in an elevator! An elevator of all places. What is it with you and elevators?" Make that six minutes 23 seconds. Alex shook his head. The woman never seized to amaze him.

"Izzie you need to calm down. I'm fine about you not coming. I wasn't even awake anyway so..." He joked. He felt kind of better now that she had given a reason but the fact that she hadn't told the chief to go shove it still hurt. He would have if the situation had been reversed. Hell, he would have knocked out every person that stood in his way if th situation had been reversed.

"So what did I miss? Any gossip? The surgery was boring me anyway." He smiled. Maybe he should get her more relaxed (well, as far as relaxed could be a word used with Izzie anyway) before he told her this tragic news.

"Lexie went blonde. Now she's ginger." Izzie laughed. Alex smiled. He loved her laugh. He loved everything about her. He just wished that she felt the same. "Cristina stopped calling me Devil-Spawn, now I'm 'New Alex', 'Nice Alex' or my brother-"

"You have a brother?" Damn.

"Doesn't matter. He was nicknamed 'Angel spawn' and lucky me, I have it now."

"Have you converted her into nice, new and shiny Cristina or is Owen really giving her some good-"

"And for my sake could you not give me those images!" Alex begged. Izzie just laughed even more. Alex was hit by the seriousness of the situation. "Iz, I think you might have to go nag at your boss for some days off..."

"Who?" It strained Izzie's voice. Realization hit her when she had heard days off. It could only mean one thing. Cristina or Meredith were the only two living people who would have this effect on him. She had known something was up when she heard the rough voice that had once been so loving, yet rough at the same time. Now it showed some emotion, now it showed tiredness, and fear. That stroked her as odd. Alex and the word fear had never been associated with each other before unless it was someone scared of Alex. Now it was Alex scared of something else. She silently swore that when she got to Seattle – which she would, even if she lost her job – she would find out what was wrong with the man that she had fallen in love with from the seconds that she had first seen him all those years ago. "Alex, please, just tell me who."

"Guy stabbed Mer. She's alive, comatose." He heard Izzie breathe in sharply.

"I'm on my way."

_**Authors note: Reviews are very, very welcome. So are attempts at guessing what the secret is. Secret = One BIG plot twist.**_


	6. Chp 5: Seriously?

_**Authors note: Good guesses. Although they weren't the right answer I am considering adding them anyway (not telling you which one – that would just ruin it!). All I am saying is Izzie. I was so happy when I went onto my reviews (at 2am in the morning due to really being unable to sleep. Anyways, on with the story!**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's Anatomy!**_

_**Chapter five: Never tie me down. **_

Izzie walked into her patient room. Her last patient. Well, for the month. She was taking a long, and needed, holiday, and there was only one place she was going. Seattle. She was going to see Meredith, a sigh escaped her lips, she had to see Meredith. Meredith was in a coma, so there was every reason for her to go. Alex hated her and she knew that. She knew that he was only pretending to be okay with her. She also knew that she still loved him, but he couldn't feel the same way. She looked away from her chart and let her eyes rest on the John Doe in the bed.

Izzie dropped the chart.

No. This man in front of her, with that non-destroyed face, was dead. Completely gone and never coming back. She had laughed at his funeral. She had cried at his bedside. She had helped his ex-wife decide what to do with the organs. She had, over three months after it, found his two brothers completely drunk in her new-hospitals free-clinic.

But there he was, listed as a John Doe again. No family, no friends to visit him.

She knew she wasn't wrong. She would recognise his face anywhere. This was her best friend, the person she had lived with, the person she had an affair with (Callie stopped hating her after a while, that was a plus side). This was... A dead man. She wondered briefly if she should go and get a CT scan, because she had hallucinated dead people before.

She should be dead. He should be dead. After his death, she had no idea how to carry on. A brain tumour and a dead best friend, a match made in heaven, very funny, she thought bitterly, hell more like.

"Seriously?" She whispered.

–

Derek looked up from his wife's pale face as someone who wasn't Mark entered the room. "Alex." Another one word greeting, another worried friend. It seemed to be a never-ending cycle that only Meredith could put a stop to. Derek sighed and stood up. "I'm going to get some coffee, page me if… anything…" Alex nodded, saving Derek from having to say the possibility. Derek walked out of the room, he wanted to stay with Meredith but he knew how close Alex was with Meredith so he walked out of the room to give Alex privacy. Plus he wouldn't leave Meredith alone, so he needed coffee to stay awake.

Alex stood at the side of Meredith's bed. He wasn't sure what to say because he knew that she could hear him. "Hey Mer…" His voice was soft and kind, like always. He closed his eyes and blinked away the tears. He would not cry. He would be strong for everyone. Especially now that Izzie was coming. "I… called Izzie. She... well, you know, was Izzie. Six and a half minutes before I could get a word in. No joke. She's coming down." He sighed. "I need you to wake up Mer. Honestly. Cristina fell asleep on my leg. Cristina soaked my brand new scrubs. If this is Cristina when you're asleep I really don't think I could stand her when..." His voice cracked slightly. "You're one of my best friends Mer. You stood by me when Iz left me, then when I was in a coma. I need you to wake up. Please." A tear (okay a few tears) fell down his face, but he was quick to wipe them away.

–

"Dr Stevens, are you sure this is the same man as your friend?" Her attending asked her. She was tempted to roll her eyes. Of course it was, she wouldn't be identifying him if she weren't.

"Look, I lived with this man, I slept with this man. This man was –is– my best friend, whom we thought to be dead. This man is George O'Malley. Dr George O'Malley. Seattle Grace hospital will have all of his records. He joined the army and left, we thought he was this guy who got hit by a bus and ended up being unrecognisable but no, this man is George O'Malley. I would recognise him anywhere." She had tears in her eyes by now. "Look, I know I sound crazy, but you have to believe me. This is he."

_**Authors note: Shorter than normal. Sorry about that, but the plot twist was kind of big enough to make up for that, right?**_


	7. Chp 6: Countdown

_**Authors note: More to the last chapter's BIG plot twist. I hope that you still like it :P Changing the chapter titles too, but only in the Fanfic thing not the documents! **_

_**Disclaimer: Own nothing. **_

_**Chapter six: Countdown. **_

_It could seem like the most impossible thing in the world…_

She didn't know where she was going. She just drove. He was alive. George O'Malley was actually alive. He wasn't the guy that they buried; he wasn't the guy that they thought was dead. He was the guy who no one noticed. Before she could do anything to stop her looming future, a car sped into the side of her car. The last thing she saw was a sign for Seattle Grace-Mercy West hospital.

Then she saw George. He was so dead, seriously.

–

Alex stood in the waiting bay as the sound of sirens grew. Multiple cars pile up. Just what they needed. Callie Torres was standing next to him, as well as a bunch of other people. "You sure you're okay to do this?" Callie asked him. His best friend was in a coma. That would make her stop working in a second. She was finding it hard to believe that he had volunteered to do this.

"Yeah. Izzie's coming later." And I just need to keep my mind of the woman I love, Callie added for him in her mind. She knew that was exactly how he felt. She had been there with Arizona. The pair were in the middle of adopting a baby, and were both ecstatic. Not so much now, but still happy.

The ambulance pulled up and the first patient was pulled in on a gurney. She was awake and looking around frantically. The second she saw Alex she visibly relaxed. The second he saw her he realised that this day could actually get worse. Callie tensed up when she saw the woman too, and pushed Alex out of the way. Alex stood in shock for a few seconds before racing after Callie and his ex-wife. Just a normal day in Seattle right?

–

Izzie closed her eyes. They had said that she had a few broken bones that needed to be fixed. Great, she was about to be operated on by Callie- George's ex wife. What was it about George that she was supposed to- "Callie?" They hadn't put her under yet, so Callie looked at her.

"Yeah? Stevens?"

"George..." Callie paled slightly, but no one noticed. "He's alive. We... He... The guy we though was George isn't George, he... He's in a coma at Portland Royal hospital." Callie's eyes widened. "I… Get him transferred here. Please. Ronnie and Jerry's numbers are on my phone if they need family to…"

"I know."

–

Cristina walked through the corridors of Seattle Grace, the drunken Cristina had worn off now and she was in search of Alex. Owen didn't know anything more about Meredith and she was willing to bet that Alex did. When she did eventually find him, she was not expecting him to be on the verge of tears outside an O.R. She immediately jumped to the conclusion that something happened to Meredith.

"Is Mer okay?" He nodded. "Who's in there then?"

"Izzie." His lip quivered. He had to hold it together because no one saw Alex cry. No one. But this was too much. Meredith was in a coma, Izzie was in surgery. It was his fault Izzie was in crash. He had called her; he had been the one to convince her to come back to Seattle. He had been the one that had told her the news. He should have known that she wouldn't have a clear mind after that type of news. He should have known that she wouldn't be able to drive knowing that. He should have offered to drive down there and pick her up. Didn't matter how tired he was, Izzie always came first. "It's my fault. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me."

Cristina looked up in surprise. She hadn't even known Izzie was in Seattle, so why would he be blaming himself. "Sorry but WHAT?"

"I called her." He answered, guilt weighing heavily on his words. "I told her to come and she did and now she is in surgery. Damn surgery again. I can't do this. Not her and Meredith at the same time Cristina. Not them both." Tears finally escaped his eyes. He couldn't take them both being in danger. One of them because of a damn patient, the other because of him.

Cristina sat in shock for a few moments, but eventually pulled the now sobbing Alex into a hug.

–

Callie had finished with Izzie's surgery and was now awaiting the patient Izzie had asked them to transfer. Portland had said yes, this guy had been with them for long now and for someone to have recognised him was a miracle, let alone a doctor, so they had said that he should be with people who knew him.

She was waiting for her comatose ex-husband at the request of the woman he had an affair with.

That made so much more sense to Izzie. Then there was a chance that this wasn't George. The ambulance pulled to a halt in front of her. The doors opened and she held her breath. The paramedics pulled the gurney out. Mark, who had been standing next to her for the last few minutes even though it was frezeing outside, held her hand tightly.

Her eyes rested on the man and a wide smile spread across both hers and Mark's faces. That was George O'Malley.

"You know, most people don't smile at a comatose guy." A paramedic commented.

"Yeah, well, this is my ex-husband."

–

Meredith looked at George as a look that could only be described as dread took over his face. At first she was worried. He noticed. "Five, four, three, two, one." He mouthed to her. The second he finished she heard the thing he had been dreading.

"George O'Malley!" Isabel Stevens.

_But it still happens. _

_**Authors note: Ha-Ha. I had to add the tiniest bit of humour to the ending of that chapter. So... George is alive. Izzie is on a rampage until she wakes up. God help him and Mer… **_


	8. Chp 7: The well known wake up chant

_**A/N: Love the reviews as ALWAYS! Alex/Izzie finally! Sorry for taking a while to update, had some problems going on and had to beg my mum to let me get earphones before I have another op. **_

_**Oh, and if anyone like me didn't see Alex wake up in Season 6 final moments please tell me! **_

_**Disclaimer: If I owned Grey's Anatomy wouldn't I be playing Addison and Alex's long lost daughter? So I can ASSURE you, I do not own Grey's Anatomy. **_

_**Quote is taken from 'Three days grace' song 'Life starts now' **_

_**Chapter seven: The well know wake up chant. **_

_Life starts now. You've done all the things that could kill you somehow. You're so far down…_

Alex sat in Izzie's room, waiting for her to wake up. He had been here before, but this time he was actually more worried. Callie had told him that Izzie thought George was alive. He closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face. This could not be happening. "Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up." He repeated over and over again, as if saying it enough times would make her open her eyes, make her smile. "Please Izzie, wake up."

–

Callie walked up to Cristina. She felt sorry for her, having Meredith in a coma, Alex in his wake-up repeating mode, and now this. She had to tell her that the person they had all thought was dead was actually alive. She had done some research into how George had fallen into the coma, and had found out that he had taken a bullet for someone as he was on his way to wherever it was that the army people went. She made a mental note to ask Owen, but right now this was more important. "Cristina?" The younger doctor looked up. "Stevens said something in surgery before she went under," Callie took a seat, "George, she said something about George." Cristina looked into the Latino's eyes. She wondered where Callie was going with this as she was definitely bringing up something that she did not want to talk about. "She said that he was alive. That the guy we thought was George wasn't. I checked for her, considering everything and all, and then I got George transferred here. Room next to Meredith's."

Cristina gasped. That day she had lost control of her emotions. She would get them back when Meredith was okay, but now with Izzie and George. She didn't know if one 'family' could have such bad luck. Ha, she did know actually. Her 'family' had bad luck. She stood up and walked into Meredith's room.

–

"You're alive." Izzie stated as the three sat in the 'limbo' hospital room. Meredith shook her head. Obviously George wasn't alive. "You, George O'Malley, when you bother to wake your stupid self up, are a dead man."

Now Meredith was confused. Izzie opened her mouth to explain further but faded from view.

–

"Wake up, wake up." Alex Karev was chanting the well know (at least to her) wake up chant. She had heard it before but that didn't stop the headache he was successfully giving her.

"Shut up. You're giving me a headache." She mumbled, not even bothering to open her eyes. Was it all a dream? Were she and Alex still married, and George wasn't thought to be dead but in a coma really? Was Meredith in a coma? She hoped not. Izzie opened her eyes and looked at the man in front of her. Alex had tears in his eyes, and had obviously been crying before. Maybe it was all a- She looked around to see where she was and realised it wasn't a dream. There was George. The ventilator in his mouth. The pasty-grey skin. She looked back at Alex, and noticed his hand resting just under his arm, the place where he had been shot.

It wasn't a dream. It was real life. George had been alone for all those months. She had stupidly left Alex. Alex had gotten shot. Meredith was in a coma. "I'm so sorry Alex." He put a finger on her lips to silence any more apologies. If there was one thing today had taught him was that life was too short. He leaned forward and kissed her.

–

George rolled his eyes as Meredith went into one of her long speeches. It was like having a smaller, nicer, but still scary mini-Bailey. He smirked. Meredith's new nickname; Mini-Bailey, he shook his head, and remained unnoticed by his friend.

"That's it. Izzie has gone crazy. She thinks you, the one who got hit by a bus, are alive. She is no longer described as sane." He guessed that these rants were a way of releasing the inner-angry Meredith part of her. "I mean, you're not alive. You- why are you looking away George." He didn't answer or allow himself to make eye contact. "You are alive." A very weak nod was her answer. "GEORGE! You know how much I've been putting myself through because YOU died. Why the hell didn't you come to us? Why couldn't you just call me and tell me that you were fine… Why?"

"I… Can't." He sighed and moved over on the bed he was lying on.

"It's true." A voice appeared from behind her. It was Denny. "He can't. Honestly Grey, you really should listen to him." Denny smirked as a relieved look spread over George's face. He wasn't getting off that easy. "But…" George groaned. "He should have told you before, and he could have told Karev. Now THAT was my personal hell. Alex Karev, here." Denny shuddered. "Anyway, he should have told someone but no. He was too worried about him actually dying that he decided against it. Dear God the kids an idiot at the best of times." Meredith stood there, in the middle of the corridor, completely in shock.

"Does… Does anyone else know?" She asked. George was no longer a part of the conversation and silently faded away.

"Well, Izzie walked into his room, dropped his chart, went into shock, yelled at her boss, got him identified, drove to Seattle, got into a really big pile up, told Torres, that fit surgeon to bad she's-"

George reappeared and interrupted before the man could continue. "My ex-wife you're talking about." Denny smirked; he knew how to press the younger mans buttons so easily. George rolled his eyes, crossed his arms and leant his head against the wall.

"I was going to say already taken. Anyway, she got him transferred to Sea-G-"

Meredith opened her mouth to question the name but George gave her the 'don't ask' look and shook his head.

"In Izzie's room. So he's alive, breathing, unfortunately for us all he has to be in the same room as Karev and Izzie, where they are making out." George closed his eyes and willed for the guy to shut up. All he wanted to do was go home. He was the dead-guy, and now he wasn't. It was kind of a big change.

"Alex and Izzie are back together?" Meredith smiled.

"Sadly." Denny muttered. "I'll haunt him if he does a thing-"

"He won't." George interrupted.

"How do you know?" Denny challenged.

"Because I know. I think he's more scared of Izzie anyway." Both men nodded knowingly. Meredith watched the conversation with nothing less than an 'I'm-going-to-tell-Izzie' look on her face.

"Yeah but it his past and his-" Denny silenced himself as he remembered Meredith.

"George, you need to wake up. Denny, you need to get me AND him to wake up. If you don't I will make Izzie hate you. Yes, that is possible."

"Okay. You want to go back?" She nodded. "Then here is what you do…

_But you will survive this somehow. _

_**A/N: I know George isn't really dead but because he's been there so long he can fade in/out. Sigh, typical him taking his time. Final few chapters now! Pre-sequel thing will be up straight away after this finishes! Reviews?**_


	9. Chp 8: Wishing on a shooting star

_**A/N: If you haven't guessed from the quote this chapter is based on B.O.B and Hayley Williams's version of Airplanes/Shooting stars (So far I have heard four versions of it.) Oh, and please read and review my other Grey's Anatomy story 'Mad World'. If you're reading this then you are obviously a George-lover (I hope you are at least) so you will hopefully like that one too. Thanks for the reviewing! **_

_**Oh, and there is another appearance of Sofia this chapter. **_

_**(That's a hell of a long A/N)**_

_**SPOILER ALERT: Minor spoilers to 6x04. **_

_**Disclaimer: Own nothing. **_

_**Chapter 8: Wishing on a shooting star. **_

"_I am not going to die, I'm going home like a shooting star."_

She sat in the chair next to his bed. She was staying overnight for observation but everyone knew that she wouldn't be going home. There was a window above his bed, and she had asked Alex to keep the curtains open. He had said that she should sleep. She had simply replied that she would sleep when George and Meredith were awake. It was as simple as that. She continued to stare out of the window. It was a – for once – clear night. The stars were actually visible. It was a good feeling. The thought that anything was possible gave her hope. Undestroyable hope brought life. It also brought death but she really didn't want to think about that now.

Izzie stared out of the window and silently prayed for a shooting star, just so she could wish.

–

"I can't believe that you're actually here." She heard herself say it, but never remembered even opening her mouth. "You're… Oh my God, you're alive. Actually alive an breathing, I mean seriously here- Oh my God, I sound like Izzie." A small giggle escaped her throat. "Remember that day when I was thirteen, and I came in crying to you and you just moved over in your bed cos' that stupid idiot Daniel cheated on me. You need to wake up, so I can do that when Jackson – you know, Jackson Avery, we started dating, I need you to stop me doing something crazy when he makes one tiny mistake." She laughed. "Like blowing me off on a date. Sure, he had to operate on Shepherd, and sure, I was mad cos I hadn't heard about the shooting." She laughed. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I was off the day of the shooting, went down to the graveyard and talked to what I thought was you. People probably thought I was crazy but then again I am." Sofia blinked back more tears. She wasn't sure how to do this. She had been here before, but never with George. He was her best friend, and to some they could be mistaken as brother and sister. The ginger bit her lip. "George, I need you to wake up. You cannot put me through losing you twice, cos' I never got over the first time." As a child she had wanted her life to fall into place. She had never given up on her dreams. She was now working in oncology, just like her plan. She had made step one to be get this far. Step two was finding a cute, decent guy, which up until now had been impossible. Then she met Jackson and step two was taken off her to-do list. Step three was to get married and have a kid that was still in progress.

But this, she had never planned this. "Please George!" She whispered before sobs took over her body.

–

She didn't open her eyes. She felt a tube in her throat, which she knew was a ventilator. No pain, so she was obviously in hospital. She felt the tight grip someone – Derek – had around her hand. She also guessed from the hushed voices of Cristina and Owen that there was more than just the one person in the room. She then heard the slight choked-sob of Izzie and the whispers of Alex. She tried to open her eyes, but they were too heavy. She had to find a way of telling them that she was awake.

–

Izzie had somehow managed to convince someone – Callie Torres – to get George moved into this room. Alex had rolled his eyes and made his ex-wife sit down in the room. Callie and Arizona were in there too, standing to the side and keeping to themselves, while both holding hands tightly as if willing that nothing bad would happen. Alex was now leaning against the wall, his eyes darting from Meredith to George every few seconds, refusing any change in either of them to go unnoticed. Derek hadn't even noticed – or realised – that George was alive. His eyes remained fixed on Meredith's face, his warm hand never leaving the slightly colder one of his wife. Cristina sat opposite Derek, her eyes also never leaving her best friends face.

She wouldn't dare to.

The second that she had walked in here she hadn't removed her eyes from the one persons, her persons, face. It was as if Cristina looked anywhere else Meredith would fade away. She couldn't risk it.

Meredith could not, in any way, die. No tears slid down her face. She had complete control.

Owen stood behind Cristina, seeing through her façade with great ease. He didn't say anything, although she knew that he would the second that she had no comatose friends.

Lexie stood in the corner. Tears had spilled down her face so much that day, but currently she had never been more silent. Just the thought of speaking and destroying this sacred silence made her nauseous. Her sister, the one who had saved her dad's life, was lying there right in front of her. She couldn't believe it.

Mark watched both her and Derek. The woman he loved and the best friend, both connected by the one person of whose life was hanging in the balance. Lexie was also watching George. That had been the one thing that had shocked him the most that day. George O'Malley being alive. He would have shaken his head but he decided against it.

Sofia sat next to George; her eyes were red rimmed from crying. She was silent as always and added this to her plan. Nothing could hide the pain and sorrow that was swimming around in her grey eyes right now. They looked, she felt, like they were two dark caves of hopelessness, never ending, and only one person could stop her from falling in. George O'Malley had better wake up and stop her.

Everyone looked towards one monitor as the room exploded in the noise of a flat line. Over that noise, there was a sound of coughing and someone fighting against the ventilator.

_**Authors note: Okay, one maybe even two more chapters to go now! And I will get them up soon considering that I gave you a nice cliffhanger. Who is flat lining and who is awake?**_

_**Also, I have two sequels/pre-sequels/companion pieces in mind for this story and I would like to hear your thoughts on which should be the first up. **_

_**1) Like brother and sister. **_

_**Summary: George and Sofia's life growing up as they helped each other through bad and good. Best-friend piece and will include a bit of romance. **_

_**2) I hate this part: **_

_**Summary: 8 days, six hours, and thirteen minutes. They didn't even know he had been hurt for three days. She had Owen. She had Derek. Three days. Alex had been shot. Set after Season-6 Finale and explores the Meredith/Alex friendship and gives birth to the Cristina/Alex and New-Alex/Angel-Spawn. **_

_**Please review! **_


	10. Chp 9: A Matter Nightmares and dreams?

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Here is my today: Get brace (NO coke for 18 months= me going crazy), helped friend, argued with two friends and update this. God I am mad! I had major writers block so it took about three days for me to write this. Sorry! I had two versions of this chapter. **_

_**And here is Sofia: A ginger girl, brunette hair. She is the oncology attending (the one that treated Izzie doesn't exist.) Her and George grew up together, and are like G/I friendship. She lived with Meredith, Izzie and George for season 1, and then moved to England for some fellowship until the start of season 5. She had a one-night stand with Alex before she left for England (he only remembered in s6). **_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's Anatomy!**_

_**Chapter nine: All a matter of nightmares and dreams? **_

"_**Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."**_

You look around the room. You watch Izzie crying into Alex's shoulder. You watch Alex being completely shell-shocked. You watch as Cristina struggles to control her emotions under control. You watch as Owen tightens his grip on Cristina's hand. You watch as Derek shakes his head grimly, informing you that there is nothing he, or anyone else, could do to save your best friend. You watch as Mark hugs Lexie tightly as she sobs for her friend, ex-crush, and ex-room mate. You watch as Jackson Avery walks into the room and tires to remove the hysterical Sofia from his body. You hear the heart-wrenching sobs. You aren't sure what you are doing. You just sit in the bed, your face clear of emotion. You wince, as Sofia screams 'no' again, and close your eyes as Jackson finally gets her off his body. You open them again to see Derek walking towards you, that same frown on his damn McDreamy face from when he told you that there was nothing anyone could have done, the last time they had thought he was dead.

You realise that there are tears spreading down your face at an alarming speed as you struggle to accept the reality that is taking place before you. He should be alive. It is as simple as that. There is no reason for him crashing.

There is no reason for George O'Malley to be dead.

Coughs overtake your body but none of the other people in the room notice. This confuses you, but you can't dwell on it too long as more painful coughs come over you. You suddenly realise that there is something in your throat. Strange, you think, they took the ventilator out ages ago. Still no one notices you obvious – and loud – distress. You close your eyes as if that will stop everything. You keep your eyes closed for only thirty seconds, but when you open them again you are met with a bright light. It clears up and Derek comes into view. He tells you to cough, and you do so. You're not sure why, George is dead and you are awake and none of them noticed that you were coughing before. Derek looks like he hadn't slept in days, which is strange as before he looked like he had. Cristina was crying, and Sofia was not. How long was I out for this time, you wonder to yourself when you notice the wide smile on Sofia's face. What is wrong with her/? George is dead and she is smiling.

Maybe it is her coping technique, you think to yourself. Izzie laughs, bakes, and makes Alex out on a lot of weight, so maybe smiling is… No, impossible. You seen her the first time we thought/knew George was dead (and/or dying) and you know that this is not how she coped. You know that she sat in his room for days on end without coming out; you had been the one to get her time off after all. You know that she cries, wears his tops, and only leaves the room to use the bathroom, which was conveniently (for her at least) placed next door. You know that she would look at all the pictures she owns and listen to 'honest to God could you get more depressing music' as Alex puts it. You know that she definitely did not smile.

Then you realise that everything is different. It is the middle of the night, and not the day as you can't see any sun and you can see the nightshift workers busying themselves so that they can avoid this room. You hear Derek asking you a few questions to make sure that your crazy brain is okay.

You answer them all, and if this had been a test you would have gotten full marks, as you know that your crazy brain isn't anymore crazy than it already was. At least you hope not anyway.

You hear Alex whisper 'I love you' to Izzie countless times, and you hear Derek do the same. Then you see his face.

The face that up until now you had been convinced was one of a dead man. You realise that you had been the one that had coded, and not him, and you, like him, survived. You survived and you were with the people you loved once again. You let yourself smile at him. He looks rights into your eyes and smiles back. You know then that you could take anything the world throws at you, and you know that everything will be okay because Alex loves Izzie, you love Derek, George is alive, you finally are okay with Owen (only because he saved you life), because Sofia is smiling and Bailey is sitting in the corner with that smirk on her face that means that she does actually care, because you are going to try and get pregnant again, and Mark and Lexie are getting married, because you know that it will be okay.

_**A/N: I'm writing the epilogue and then this will be finished. I am also on chapter two on my sequel/pre-sequel, which really means chapter three because the first one is a prologue. Please review!**_

_**Katrina **_____

_**And which sequel do you want? George-centred or Alex-centred? See chapter nine/eight for more details if you skipped over it. **_


	11. Authors note! Please read!

Okay so the story is finished… BUT…

I have written the first pre-sequel, it is called 'Chasing Cars' based of the song by Snow Patrol.

In this story there are many mentions and references to when Alex had been shot. The other story is going to be what happened then. Although people who have read this one will have a rough idea of how the story ends I intend to put in a few plot twists (kinda like this one.) I really hope you all read it!

Katrina :) x


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